7 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Orleans Parish, Louisiana.
Verified from official government sources
In New Orleans (Orleans Parish), a fence or wall may be located in any yard but may not exceed 8 feet, except within national historic districts, where the maximum is 7 feet. Fences in front yards must be open fences.
New Orleans CZO Sec. 21.6.N.1.a
a fence or wall may be located in any yard but may not exceed eight (8) feet in height, except within national historic districts, where a fence or wall may not exceed seven (7) feet in height.
New Orleans requires a building/zoning permit from the Department of Safety and Permits before erecting a fence, and any fence must comply with the CZO height and open-front-fence rules. Historic-district fences also need HDLC or VCC review.
Louisiana is a civil-law state, so shared-fence rights come from the Louisiana Civil Code, not common-law line-fence statutes. Under La. Civ. Code art. 685, a fence on a boundary is presumed common unless proven otherwise, and neighbors can share upkeep costs.
Orleans Parish treats retaining walls as structures requiring a building permit from the Department of Safety and Permits. The CZO fence-and-wall height rules govern walls, and where lots differ in grade, height is measured from the highest grade at the property line.
New Orleans CZO Sec. 21.6.N.1
the height of the fence or wall shall be measured from the highest grade at the property line on either side of the property. In no case shall the total fence height exceed ten (10) feet.
New Orleans fences must satisfy CZO Art. 21.6.N: no more than 8 feet in any yard (7 feet in historic districts), open fences in front yards, and a permit from the Department of Safety and Permits. Historic districts add design review.
New Orleans CZO Sec. 21.6.N.1.a
Fences in front yards shall be open fences.
The CZO does not ban common fence materials citywide, but front-yard fences must be open fences and, in certain districts, the CZO limits fences to specified materials — iron, wood, wire, brick, stone, or any combination thereof. Historic districts add material review.
New Orleans CZO Sec. 21.6.N.2.b
iron, wood, wire, brick, stone, or any combination thereof.
In the CZO districts that specify materials, fences may be built of iron, wood, wire, brick, stone, or any combination thereof, and front-yard fences must be open. In HDLC and Vieux Carre districts, material choices must pass historic design review.
New Orleans CZO Sec. 21.6.N.2.b
iron, wood, wire, brick, stone, or any combination thereof.
1 cities in Orleans Parish have their own fence regulations rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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